Chinese Filtertrons ? Anyone Try?

[OMB]

I am not interested in putting TV Jones pickups in my guitars because I had an HS Filtertron equipped Gretsch and I for some weird reason (also I am notoriously cheap) can not hear any significant difference between the expensive TVJones and the less expensive Gretsch branded. I am also aware that Artec and GFS (the Ohms are identical and they look identical to each other) have newer versions of the HS Filtertron but they are higher resistance values than the Gretsch or TVJ products.

So my question is has anyone tried these Chinese versions that feature a Resistance: Bridge 4.8K / Neck 4K ????

If so can you share your thoughts?



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Filtertron-Sty ... 0903.m5276

NEW - Filtertron® Style Alnico II Humbucker Pickup - NICKEL
Choose Bridge or Neck position
Nickel plated shell
Total length x width: 72mm x 35mm
Overall height: 21.4mm
Pole spacing: Neck 48.5mm / Bridge 50mm
Resistance: Bridge 4.8K / Neck 4K
Magnet : Alnico 2 Bar
Single conductor shielded wire
Mounting screws are included

[Gear_Junky]

That link's not working but I found them. Interesting. Cheaper than GFS. Must be some patent expired since the last time I was searching for these or these music styles are more en vogue again.

From what I read the H.S. Filtertron was designed by TV Jones for Gretsch to replace the previous ceramic version.

Are there any tone demos anywhere online on these cheapies?

[golem]

Probably a tangent, but if you find a good deal on the Fidelitrons that Fender put in the non-MIA Cabronitas, they're good. They sound a bit different than TV Jones classics (i.e., they're pretty close in spec) , but I've heard people say they prefer them (especially for the cost).

[OMB]

I posted about these over at the Gretsch Forum and based on the input they are no longer of interest. I will look at the Fidelitrons but I am kind of chillin right now. I just got a Streamliner and need to play it for a few days . So far it is really nice but not too sure that it adds enough for me to keep it. I was going to put some Filtertrons in it but will have to see.

[Gear_Junky]

I posted about these over at the Gretsch Forum and based on the input they are no longer of interest. I will look at the Fidelitrons but I am kind of chillin right now. I just got a Streamliner and need to play it for a few days . So far it is really nice but not too sure that it adds enough for me to keep it. I was going to put some Filtertrons in it but will have to see.

On the one hand you have to take folks at Gretschpages with a grain of salt. And no, it's not snobbery, but if you bought a Gretsch guitar, even an Electromatic, buying a totally generic pickup is just not reasonable, it's not likely to improve things. I would choose the middle ground - GFS is only marginally more expensive, but you're dealing with people who are trying to design a good product and already have some reputation to stand on. I imagine it took a lot for them to get the right tooling and components to produce their filtertron versions, while the stuff on eBay is probably just some drive by night operation that got ahold of some pilfered components. If I was in the market today, I'd buy the GF'trons to try, I'd even put them into an Electromatic (which I never really wanted).

I've only ever bought a few pickups and parts from GuitarFetish, but from frequently browsing their inventory I see that they're trying to bring stuff that modders want, even the cheap little accessories (that other places gladly overcharge you for). IMHO they are like the Samick/Cort/Peerless of pickups.

[OMB]

I posted about these over at the Gretsch Forum and based on the input they are no longer of interest. I will look at the Fidelitrons but I am kind of chillin right now. I just got a Streamliner and need to play it for a few days . So far it is really nice but not too sure that it adds enough for me to keep it. I was going to put some Filtertrons in it but will have to see.

On the one hand you have to take folks at Gretschpages with a grain of salt. And no, it's not snobbery, but if you bought a Gretsch guitar, even an Electromatic, buying a totally generic pickup is just not reasonable, it's not likely to improve things. I would choose the middle ground - GFS is only marginally more expensive, but you're dealing with people who are trying to design a good product and already have some reputation to stand on. I imagine it took a lot for them to get the right tooling and components to produce their filtertron versions, while the stuff on eBay is probably just some drive by night operation that got ahold of some pilfered components. If I was in the market today, I'd buy the GF'trons to try, I'd even put them into an Electromatic (which I never really wanted).

I've only ever bought a few pickups and parts from GuitarFetish, but from frequently browsing their inventory I see that they're trying to bring stuff that modders want, even the cheap little accessories (that other places gladly overcharge you for). IMHO they are like the Samick/Cort/Peerless of pickups.

I will always have an issue putting $250 - $300 worth of pickups before installation costs in a sub $500 guitar. Makes no sense. I always lose some money when I sell a guitar but I don't want to just willy nilly give money away and that is what I would be doing if I put in TV Jones, Lollar or even SD pickups. I can buy a brand new set of Gretsch branded HS Filtertrons for around $140 before installation cost and even that is kind of crazy.

From what I can tell the Artec (sold through GuitarMadness on eBay) and GFS GFTrons appear to be the same pickups so I doubt GFS spent anything on product or manufacturing costs. Being quite familiar with the world of private labels a small company like GFS based in Sarasota, FL was probably approached by a pickup manufacturer with a model that the manufacturer (in this case Artec) developed and they then stick their name on that (GFtron) product. GFS would need to commit to certain volumes and might need to pay for graphics artwork dependant on the deal. But performance wise they are probably identical.

I sold my Gretsch with Filters and miss that sound but I never cared for most Gretsch (not thick or wide enough) necks. Loved the look and loved the sound of the Filtertrons. I spent a lot of time looking at neck specs and the G2420 with or without Bigsby have the thickest necks on current production models amongst all the lines be it Professional, Electromatic or Streamliner. The neck on mine is .875 at the first fret with a 1-11/16" nut width. This guitar seems very well made. I have been very impressed with all my Indonesian made guitars. Can't find anything wrong and everything works properly. Only issue with the G2420t I got is it is supposed to be candy apple red and it looks more like a wine red. Very deep hue which I do not care for. Sigh.

[Gear_Junky]

From what I can tell the Artec and GFS GFTrons appear to be the same pickups so I doubt GFS spent anything on product or manufacturing costs. Being quite familiar with the world of private labels a small company like GFS based in Sarasota, FL was probably approached by a pickup manufacturer with a model that the manufacturer (in this case Artec) developed and they then stick their name on that (GFtron) product. GFS would need to commit to certain volumes and might need to pay for graphics artwork dependant on the deal. But performance wise they are probably identical.

I've been hearing that for a decade. I'd love to ever see something other than a "probably" to back that up. Are these conclusions being drawn based on same components and form factors (like covers)? Even if a place like Artec winds and assembles the pickups for GFS, but to specifically requested specs, in my book that is good enough for me to give them a consideration (as I have). I've never tried or heard an Artec pickup, so I've never said that they're bad. But based on the amount of info available to me, I'd opt for GFS for budget guitars.

If I wanted a US-made "name brand" pickup that sounded like my Dream 180, I don't even know where I'd look. But I know that if similar pickups did exist, they'd cost a couple of c-notes.

If I was someone who ENJOYS the process of soldering and swapping pickups, I would be testing every cheapie on eBay. But I only happen to enjoy the end result, so for me selecting GFS is a happy medium between budget, tone and aggravation.

P.S. I just checked Artec's website and they don't have anything like Filtertron shells or even mini-humbuckers or P90 single coils in PAF shells or anything like the Dream 180 or P180 that GFS offers.

[OMB]

From what I can tell the Artec and GFS GFTrons appear to be the same pickups so I doubt GFS spent anything on product or manufacturing costs. Being quite familiar with the world of private labels a small company like GFS based in Sarasota, FL was probably approached by a pickup manufacturer with a model that the manufacturer (in this case Artec) developed and they then stick their name on that (GFtron) product. GFS would need to commit to certain volumes and might need to pay for graphics artwork dependant on the deal. But performance wise they are probably identical.

I've been hearing that for a decade. I'd love to ever see something other than a "probably" to back that up. Are these conclusions being drawn based on same components and form factors (like covers)? Even if a place like Artec winds and assembles the pickups for GFS, but to specifically requested specs, in my book that is good enough for me to give them a consideration (as I have). I've never tried or heard an Artec pickup, so I've never said that they're bad. But based on the amount of info available to me, I'd opt for GFS for budget guitars.

If I wanted a US-made "name brand" pickup that sounded like my Dream 180, I don't even know where I'd look. But I know that if similar pickups did exist, they'd cost a couple of c-notes.

If I was someone who ENJOYS the process of soldering and swapping pickups, I would be testing every cheapie on eBay. But I only happen to enjoy the end result, so for me selecting GFS is a happy medium between budget, tone and aggravation.

P.S. I just checked Artec's website and they don't have anything like Filtertron shells or even mini-humbuckers or P90 single coils in PAF shells or anything like the Dream 180 or P180 that GFS offers.

Seems like I may have stepped on your toes? Didn't mean to. I so not have any inside knowledge on Artec vs. GFS. I just know how a lot of private labelling works in retail consumer products and yes you are correct that a vendor will specify certain changes to "differentiate" their product from folks buying basically the same product but reselling it at a lower price point. So I will gladly bow down to your hypothesis because I have no skin in the game worth an internet squabble. SO again if I stepped on your toes I didn't mean to.

[Gear_Junky]

Seems like I may have stepped on your toes? Didn't mean to. I so not have any inside knowledge on Artec vs. GFS. I just know how a lot of private labelling works in retail consumer products and yes you are correct that a vendor will specify certain changes to "differentiate" their product from folks buying basically the same product but reselling it at a lower price point. So I will gladly bow down to your hypothesis because I have no skin in the game worth an internet squabble. SO again if I stepped on your toes I didn't mean to.

Certainly not, I'm not sure why you would think that I meant literally: if Artec makes GFS pickups, I'd love to know it. I can be as cynical as the next guy, but at the same time there's a need to be practical and pragmatic.

Back in the 90's I've had Seymour Duncan and Gibson Classic '57 pickups (that cost a lot of money) and yes, there was improvement in tone over the stock yamaha and epiphone pickups. But then in the late 2000's I was getting into guitar again and tried GFS. And I was happier with the tone improvement even before considering the savings. I am as cynical towards overpriced products from companies that rest on their laurels as I am towards "generic chinese crap". I've personally found examples of things made in China and elsewhere in Asia that were 100% on par with American and European made products (not even talking about musical gear here). It's down to who is in charge of design and QC. Whoever is behind GFS strikes me as a hobbyist/enthusiast/modder who decided to also make it into a business. That's exactly what I want to see.

[Lacking Talent]

Here -- from a 2010 thread on Harmony Central -- is a quote from Guitar fetish owner, Jay Abend, who's clearly not trying to hide anything:

""Sure we buy from 9 different manufacturing houses in Korea.

Unfortunately for us- AFTER we have started some cool new lines they show up in these generic catalogs- Artec makes some of the plastic and metalware for us- there are other houses in Korea that make stuff for us that I'm sure you can find with some clever googling- BUT- the generic versions that are sold in these catalogs are about what we sell in our clearance section- They sound fine, they look cool- they're a little bit cheaper than GFS- So for people who are not as concerned with specific tone- buying these generic Artecs or Woosungs or Samsungs or Daehungs or Booheungs are a good deal.

But we do design our pickups with specific wire, specific magnets, specific polepiece metals and specific wind patterns- some based on my own hand. And i think the difference is fairly obvious if an objective- objective mind you- ear hears them both.

As I keep saying- we're not reinventing the wheel here. And the catalogs of Korean stuff look an AWFUL lot like Duncan, Dimarzio, Gibson etc too- don't they?? Very tough to judge this kind of book by its cover. Even the little onboard circuits we have Artec make for us have from 7 to 12 component changes on the board- You can't tell that by perusing ebay auctions but if you've actually bought one from another source- you know what I mean.

Jay"

Quite clear above from the horse's mouth -- and also from the many videos and photos posted online of disassembled GFS and Artec pickups -- that Artec builds or at least supplies components for at least some GFS pickups.

Will say, for my own part, that the stock GFS pickups in my Xaviere XV-840 from Guitar Fetish are comparable in build and sound quality to the majority of mass market Tele-style pickups I've encountered.

Hope that helps.

[Gear_Junky]

Thank you, LT, that is exactly what I thought. Pickups are nothing but magnets set in a spool with wire wound around it, so identically looking components are only a part of it. To me it's obvious that "Artec makes some of the components and/or pickups to spec" is not the same as "GFS are Artec pickups".

Jay seems to do the market research, figuring out what players want, then comes up with some designs and commissions them. Then someone over there decides to "jump on the bandwagon" with look-alikes (though not necessarily sound-alikes).

[motowntom]

I have these GFS gold foils, could not be happier...
Cheers

[nomadh]

So if tv yellow was a color designed to work well on old b/w tv sets is tv jones pickups a design that creates a tone that sounds best on old lo fi tv sets

Actually I have a tele with something that looks like these types of pickups. I think they are just cheap chinese pups. I can check things out if it helps I wouldnt know how to compare them to gretsch or tv as I haven't had much experience with either.

[Gear_Junky]

So if tv yellow was a color designed to work well on old b/w tv sets is tv jones pickups a design that creates a tone that sounds best on old lo fi tv sets

Probably designed to sound best on old obsolete tube-powered amplifiers

[OMB]

You guys read that I have purchased 3 guitars and actually 8 sets of pups from GFS? I am not bashing GFS at all. Lets see I have owned 59's, Dream 90's, Mean 90's (2), Memphis, Liverpool, Nashville, Surf 90's and maybe another I can't recall. The only ones I did not like were the Surf 90's. The rest were fine.

[Gear_Junky]

I didn't think anyone was bashing anything I am always mindful of others reading these things later while trying to decide. So when I have a certain experience-based opinion, I try to keep things meaningful to others, if possible.

And let's not forget matters of taste - there have been generations of guitarists who were tearing out vintage-voiced original US-made pickups out of their guitars in favor of hot or souped up pickups, meaning they hated the original tone. To each their own.

[nomadh]

I forgot I also have a gretsch silver sparklejet 2626 model maybe. I bought it as a parts project I still need to get it strung up to see what those pups sound like.